Clinical vision research projects, including human clinical trials and epidemiologic studies are part of NEI’s core strategy for improving visual health and decreasing visual impairment in populations through research on the burden of disease, its causes, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. Broad collaborative clinical research program goals in support of NEI’s mission to protect and improve visual health include:

Determining the burden of eye diseases and their visual outcomes in a changing population, particularly disparities in the burden and the influences of sociocultural and demographic factors.

Improving early diagnosis of ocular diseases and their underlying processes through new screening and detection strategies.

Developing and testing new interventions that prevent or treat ocular diseases and resulting disability, and identify predictors of response to treatment.

Identifying and assessing strategies that will overcome barriers to eye care and convert evidence-based findings into improved patient and population outcomes.

Because of the complexity of the NEI U10 mechanism, the NIH has granted NEI a temporary exception for the January 25, 2010 submission deadline alone. These U10 applications using the PHS 398 format will include a 25 page limit for the Research Strategy. This exception applies only to the January 25, 2010 submissions.
The FOA for this mechanism is expected to be published in the NIH Guide for grants and Contracts by January 2010.